Cheat Sheets

You may think that hunger is all in your stomach and that dieting is all in your head. But nutrition experts know that hunger is regulated by a complex system of chemicals that send signals between your[more…]

Many minerals are an essential part of a healthy diet. Other minerals are toxic even in tiny amounts, leading to nerve dysfunction and memory loss, a weakened immune system, and even kidney damage.[more…]

Making energy isn’t the only thing your body does with the carbohydrate nutrients in your diet. Carbohydrates also protect your muscles. When you need energy, your body looks for glucose from carbohydrates[more…]

Many mineral nutrients essential to a healthy diet — including calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium — form compounds that dissolve into charged particles. But nutritionists generally use the term electrolyte[more…]

Food in your diet must be digested before being absorbed by your cells, but alcohol included in your diet flows directly through your body’s membranes into your bloodstream, which carries alcohol to nearly[more…]

Magnesium may be the most commonly deficient mineral in human nutrition, even though dietary sources of this nutrient abound. Because it is the calming or anti-stress mineral, it’s very important to many[more…]

Minerals are an essential part of a healthy diet. These inorganic nutrients occur naturally in nonliving things, such as rocks and metal ores. You get essential minerals by including plants in your diet[more…]

Protein is an essential nutrient found in animal products, nuts, and beans. The name protein name comes from the Greek word protos, which means first. Your body uses proteins in your diet to build new[more…]

A diet that provides sufficient amounts of carbohydrates keeps your body from eating its own muscles. Carbohydrates are an essential part of a healthy diet because your body converts them to glucose and[more…]

Nutritionists substitute the word calorie for kilocalorie, which is really 1/1000 of a kilocalorie. Your body burns food to produce energy in the form of heat. Nutritionists measure the amount of heat[more…]

Proteins are essential nutrients found in any healthy diet. All proteins are made of building blocks called amino acids, but not all proteins in your diet contain all the amino acids you require. Nutritionists[more…]

Boron is a trace mineral essential to human health and must be obtained from diet or supplements. This nutrient recently gained popularity after researchers found that it helps the bones use calcium. Increased[more…]

Calories are simply a way to measure the energy in food and the energy released in the body. Although the technically correct name is kilocalorie, everyone, including dietitians, uses the shorter[more…]

Minerals are essential in human nutrition because they aid in a variety of the body’s functions. Your body does not manufacture any minerals, so you must get these nutrients from your diet and from nutritional[more…]

When considering your nutritional needs, the amount you eat is as important as what you eat. Because people have diets filled with restaurant and convenience store foods, it’s difficult to remember how[more…]

You may remember the teenage angst of feeling "too fat," even when your weight barely touched the 100-pound mark. Teens today are as acutely aware of their weight, and many, if not most, teenage girls[more…]

Nutrition experts tell us that the best way to deal with hunger and appetite is to follow your body’s natural cues. Your physical and psychological environments definitely affect appetite and hunger, sometimes[more…]

Carbohydrates are a necessary part of a healthy diet, offering your body nutrients it can convert to glucose to power muscles. Carbohydrates come in three varieties: simple carbohydrates, complex carbohydrates[more…]

What do the terms saturated, unsaturated, and monounsaturated fats mean to your diet and health? These words describe how many hydrogen atoms occur in a molecule, or fundamental unit, of fats and oils,[more…]

Scientists are uncertain whether this mineral is a required nutrient, but a lithium deficiency can lead to mood disorders. Most people take in about 2 mg daily from their diets, although no specific requirement[more…]

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Most people associate the nutrient calcium with healthy bones and teeth, but no matter how much calcium you have in[more…]

You find dietary fiber in all plant foods — fruits, vegetables, and grains, but none in foods from animals: meat, fish, poultry, milk, milk products, and eggs. A balanced diet with lots of foods from plants[more…]